MIDDLE EAST
“Rise Of Islamist Group Stokes Unease In West Bank”
by Peter Kenyon

SNIPPET: “The group had planned a rally in Ramallah on Saturday to celebrate the movement’s message that neither Fatah nor Hamas holds the answer for Palestinians. The group believes in restoring the Islamic caliphate, the religious government that dates back to the early years of the Muslim faith, and thereby spreading the influence of Islamic law around the world.

A Radical Ideology

Hustling through the crowded downtown streets Saturday, a nervous, well-dressed young man ducked into the Palestine Cafe to avoid being arrested by Palestinian security forces loyal to Abbas. He gave his name as Osama al-Ansari, a supporter of Hizb ut Tahrir from the West Bank city of Hebron.

Ansari, in town for the rally, said he was not surprised that the Palestinian Authority security forces turned out in force to derail it.

“The coming of the caliphate threatens the Palestinian Authority regime,” he says, “and threatens the American interests in the area, and therefore they are harassing us because a caliphate will not provide for the existence of the Palestinian Authority.”

In short, Hizb ut Tahrir does not recognize the authority of the Palestinian Authority or Hamas. The group also does not accept democracy or the very concept of the modern nation-state. In contrast to al-Qaida, the group officially rejects violence, and it condemned the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. But various counterterrorism agencies have argued that Hizb ut Tahrir’s radical ideology can be linked to a number of coup attempts and terrorist attacks.

Analysts note that while Hizb ut Tahrir is tolerated in Western countries, it has been banned by several Mideast regimes, and they wonder what the group’s future is in the Palestinian territories.”

SNIPPET: Hizb ut-Tahrir, an international movement seeking to re-establish an international Islamic state - or Caliphate - and to indoctrinate Muslims into supporting jihad, wants to step up its recruitment efforts in the United States. On July 19, the group, whose alumni include 9/ 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and suicide bombers, will hold a conference entitled The Fall of Capitalism and the Rise of Islam in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in Oak Lawn, Ill, a Chicago suburb.

MATERIALS ON RELIGIOUS-EXTREMIST ORGANIZATION “HIZB UT-TAHRIR”, WITH PROOFS OF ITS PARTICIPATION IN TERRORIST ACTIVITY.

[Editorial note: This is the text of a document found on the website of The General Consulate of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Athens. It is presented here without editing - the English is a little non-standard, but the meaning is clear. It presents the Uzbeckistan government’s analysis of Hizb ut-Tahrir and why Uzbeckistan considers the Hizb ut-Tahrir to be a terrorist organization. Of note are the allegations of inter-linkage between Hizb ut-Tahrir and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.]

SNIPPET: “This correspondent again received an SMS from the banned outfit, criticising the government for closure of its website and describing the step as suppression of the freedom of expression. The SMS, sent by media office of the banned organisation, also carried a new URL: http://www.hizb-pakistan.info/.

When The News drew the FIA officials attention towards the new website of the Hizb, he said they were working to shut down the new website as well. He said that they were, however, facing some problems in this regard because the banned outfit was using the most modern technology to propagate its agenda.

An official of a prime intelligence agency told The News that Hizb was using an Afghanistan-based satellite system. He said it was also receiving technical assistance from the same team that was behind the FM radio transmission of Baitullah Mehsud-led Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan in Swat and elsewhere.”

SNIPPET: “Hizb ut-Tahrir, (HT) the pro-jihadist organization meeting this weekend in suburban Chicago, has been waging a below-the-radar campaign to recruit Americans for decades. While HT (the “Party of Liberation”) says it is committed to advancing radical Islam by nonviolent means, it advocates violence (see here, here and here) and its prominent alumni include terrorists like Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and Abu Musab Zarqawi along with suicide bombers.

The open nature of this weekend’s Khalifa (Caliphate) Conference in Chicago under the Hizb ut-Tahrir banner indicates that the group has decided to enhance its recruiting efforts among U.S. Muslims. Until late last year (when it publicly called on American Muslims to boycott the November election) HT had operated in secret or through front organizations here.”

Later this month, the members of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Canada will host a conference in Mississauga to discuss the establishment of a Caliphate. The conference announcement acknowledges the presence of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Canada for the first time publicly; indicating that, like Hizb ut-Tahrir America (HTA), it may have recently transitioned into the second stage of its three-stage strategy. (For more on the method of Hizb ut-Tahrir, please see my previous article, linked here).

Branches of Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) worldwide are hosting Khilafah conferences this month as part its “Rajab Campaign.” Rajab, on the Islamic calendar, is the month of the fall of the Ottoman Empire; or, as HT views it, the anniversary month of the destruction of the Khilafah.

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